


Two Pieces (House Rule)

by chibi_nightowl



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Jigsaw Puzzles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 03:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9302588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_nightowl/pseuds/chibi_nightowl
Summary: Bruce stares at the image on the box and shifts his attention to the half done puzzle. “Those ruffles look like a pain in the ass.” He picks up a purplish-gray piece with thin wisps of black running through it.“You have no idea," Tim replies wryly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was expecting to write angst this week to get the stress out of my system from everything going on and here I come up with fluff instead. Nostalgia will do that, I suppose.

Tim sits and stares idly at the jigsaw puzzle in front of him. The winter fairy and wolf are proving spectacularly stubborn to piece together, the white ruffles and black trim blending too well with the hazy gray background and the white aspens in the background. _I’m sitting down though, so that means I’ve got to find at least two pieces. Thanks Mom…_

It was well known that Janet Drake loved a good puzzle and she passed that particular trait on to her son. As a child, Tim would spend hours with his mother on the rare occasion she’d indulge in a jigsaw puzzle. The puzzles started simple, but quickly progressed to larger and more complex puzzles as he got older.

This was their time together, bonding over a hobby that Jack didn’t quite understand, though he tried by sitting down at the table and talking to Tim while he stared intently at the pieces to figure out their mystery. It was during these little interruptions that Janet implemented the two piece rule; if you sit down at the table when a puzzle is in progress, you need to find two pieces before you’re allowed to get up.

_Dad tried, I’ll say that for him_. While he struggled to find even one piece, Tim would slip him the needed piece (or two) and subtly show him where they went. _We both knew Mom knew we were cheating, but that was part of the fun, trying to hide it from her._

The memories with his parents make the rare occasion Tim sits in front of a jigsaw puzzle all the more precious. A challenge, but not one with dire consequences. They were something he could relax with, especially when laid up with a sprained ankle and some bruised ribs.

Tim glances at his laptop sitting on the sofa where he left it when he came to the kitchen to get a refill on his coffee. _I didn’t plan to sit down, but I saw where one piece finally went, so now I need to find one more._ _House rules after all, even now that it’s just me._

*****

The next day, Dick sits at the table and glares at the puzzle while Tim washes dishes, carefully balanced on one foot. “How long have you been working on this puzzle?”

“Since April.”

Dick makes a sound of frustration as he runs a hand through his hair. “It’s _January_ , Timmy.”

“I’ve been busy,” Tim replies dryly. He looks critically at a stained coffee mug. _I think it’s time for the white vinegar with this one. Thank you for that helpful tip, Alfred._

“Yeah, but this is _you_. Shouldn’t you have solved this in what, two days tops?” Dick starts to fidget.

“I like the hard ones.” Tim picks up his crutches and carefully walks over to the table, but doesn’t sit down. He casts a critical eye over the puzzle.

“You solve hard puzzles all the time. It’s what we _do._ What makes you want to do it in your downtime?” Dick bounces a leg up and down as he stares intently at the puzzle.

“I like them.”

“That doesn’t mean the rest of us do!”

“Dick, you sat down at the table,” Tim explains patiently, but with the hint of a smirk on his face. “You know my rule.”

“Yeah, yeah, two pieces. I found one!” The oldest Robin says with a bright smile, one that still never fails to make Tim want to run for his camera.

He taps down the urge. “Good for you. What about this piece?” Tim carefully points at a piece and looks pointedly towards Dick’s elbow where he’s covering most of the wolf.

Dick takes the hint. “Found it!” He springs to his feet quickly. “I gotta run, Tim. Just wanted to check up on you. That was a nasty spill you took the other night.”

“Thanks, Dick.”

As Dick makes a hasty exit, Tim glances down at the puzzle again. _I wonder who he’s going to send over here next to get trapped by the puzzle?_

*****

“What the fuck, Replacement? Two piece rule? You’re kiddin’ right?” Jason glares at Tim from his seat at the table. He’d been sitting there with a cup of coffee making some steady progress for once on the damn thing when Jason arrived carrying a bag full of burgers and fries, along with a memory stick of data he wanted Tim to decrypt for him.

Tim eagerly took the memory stick and the food when Jason sat across from him. He shakes his head at Jason. “Nope. House rules.”

“Since when have you had any rules around here besides don’t drink all your coffee?”

“This rule has been around since I was a kid,” Tim replies with a grin. “You should be able to find at least two pieces by the time I clean this up for you.” He holds up the USB stick.

“Fuck you.” Jason glares at Tim, but hunkers down at the table with his food, glaring at the puzzle while Tim hobbles to the sofa where his laptop is still perched rather forlornly on the coffee table.

_At least he didn’t flip the table and send everything flying._

*****

Cassandra sits and stares intently at the puzzle, eyes flickering over to the box every couple of minutes. She’s already found three pieces.

Tim’s still rather surprised to see her. “I didn’t think puzzles like these would interest you.”

A small smile appears on her face as she looks up at Tim. “They are a challenge, but not like reading and letters are. This is more…relaxing.”

“I think so too.”

“I can tell. You practically shout how happy you are when you find a piece.”

“Like right now?” Tim taps a piece into place. _That one’s been bothering me for days._

“Exactly.” Cass picks up another piece and puts it in the right spot with her own little satisfied tap.

They work together in silence. By the time Cass leaves a couple hours later, the puzzle is half finished.

*****

Bruce sits a bit awkwardly on Tim’s sofa, his shins brushing the edge of the coffee table. Tim likes to keep it closer to the sofa so it’s easier to reach his coffee or a file when he’s sprawled out lengthwise.

Tim hobbles over from his front door and leans on his crutches, sprained ankle up and off the ground. “Do you need help with something, Bruce?” _He never comes over for a social visit. The only time he even checks up on me is if I stay at the Manor when I’m injured._

“How are you feeling?” It sounds almost painful, the way he’s asking.

Tim’s eyes narrow slightly in suspicion. “I’m fine, all things considering.” He waggles his raised foot in Bruce’s direction for emphasis. _If Dick put him up to this…_

Bruce nods and looks around a bit, almost like he’s looking for something. “I heard you’re working on a rather complicated puzzle.”

“Dick telling stories again?” Tim shakes his head and starts towards the kitchen table. Bruce gets up and follows a bit stiffly. The motion doesn’t escape Tim’s attention as he sits down. _Oh, I bet I know why he’s here._ “Let me guess, Alfred’s orders?”

A rueful chuckle escapes Bruce’s lips as he takes the chair opposite of Tim. “Broken ribs and fifteen stitches.”

“Sounds like quite the party,” Tim replies with a smirk as he picks up a puzzle piece and sets it in place. He’s been on a roll recently. “Sorry I missed it.”

Bruce stares at the image on the box and shifts his attention to the half done puzzle. “Those ruffles look like a pain in the ass.” He picks up a purplish-gray piece with thin wisps of black running through it.

“You have no idea," Tim replies wryly.

“I’m supposed to stay here until this puzzle is done.”

“Sounds like quite the chore.” He gives Bruce a quizzical look. “Do I need to make up the guestroom?”

Bruce looks at the box again, then the piece in front of him. “Three hours. Tops.”

Tim smirks. “I’ve heard that before.”

*****

Dick quietly slips in through Tim’s living room window much later that night. The lights are off here, but are still on in the kitchen where Tim and Bruce appear to have fallen asleep at the kitchen table. He pads over on silent feet to look over Bruce’s broad shoulders and grins.

_They finished it._

 

**Author's Note:**

> In my house, the two piece rule is a real thing when working on a jigsaw puzzle. My grandma started it when I was little and her and I were working on a puzzle together. My younger sister and grandpa would keep interrupting us, so this was her subtle way to keep them away from our time together.
> 
> For those that are curious, here's a link to the puzzle I've been working on with my aunt. We just finished it tonight. And yes, she started it in April. She's been busy...
> 
> http://www.puzzlewarehouse.com/Nene-Thomas-Aveliad-2993-8cea.html


End file.
